Rail-chair.



A. G. LIEBMANN.

' RAIL 0mm.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8. 1913.

1,126,512. Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

, awuamlio c THE NORRIS PETERS co. PHUTG-LITHIL, WASHINGIun. u. L.

TYNTTE TATiEg PATENT @IFFTCTZQ AUGUST Gr. LIEBMANN, 0E BUTTE, MONTANA, ASSIGNOR TO VIGNOLES RAIL CHAIR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. '51., A CORPGZRATION 0F DELAVIARE.

RAIL-CHAIR.

mantra Application filed. July 8, 1913.

To all whom it m ay concern:

Be it known that 1, AUGUST G. LIEBMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Butte, on the county of Silverbow and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway track appliance and particularly to rail chairs.

The priinary object of the invention is the provision of a rail chair wherein the rail shall be solidly seated and braced against vertical and lateral thrusts and against any tipping thrusts and in which the rail is held to a chair by means of secondary fastenings, the chair being in turn held to the tie by means of primary fastenings, thereby permitting the adjustment of the rail within the chair without the necessity of displacing the primary fastenings and the chair body.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a rail chair so formed that the rail may be laterally or vertically adjusted so as to bring the rail to gage or to a proper level with relation to the other rails of the track.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a rail chair peculiarly adapted to use in terminal yards and at cattle guards, the chair bein so formed as to pre vent a trainman from having his foot caught between the rail and the chair.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a rail chair constructed of simple structural shapes so that the elements of the chair may be readily rolled.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is' a perspective view of a tie or stringer and rail, the rail being held upon the tie or stringer by-the improved rail chair; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 1: Fig. 3 is an elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 2: Fig. 4: is an end view of a portion of a rail and tie or stringer and the improved chair in place thereon.

Referring to the drawings A designates a tie or stringer of any suitable form but illustrated as of wood and B designates the rail which may be of any standard shape.

Disposed upon the tie or stringer and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915. Serial No. 777,952.

held thereto by the screw spikes 2 is a base plate 8. This base plate has a relatively lar e area and rests upon the face of the tie, the screw spikes 52 passing through the ends of the base plate. The base plate is formed adjacent its opposite ends with the oppositely disposed upstanding abutments 4, these abutments extending parallel to the length of the base plate and at right angles to the rails supported thereon. The abutments are preferably formed by bending up lugs from the side edges of the base plate so that the base plate has a channel form. Each pair of abutments 4'. is spaced from the opposite pair a distance somewhat greater than the width of the rail base. Each abutment has a plurality of series of perforations 5. Each series of perforations extends horizontally and in the illustration two series are shown, one being'disposed beneath the other, the lower series being designated 5*".

Disposed on. each side of the rail and bearing beneath the head and upon the base flange of the rail are the rail braces 6. Each of these braces, as illustrated. has a head which extends beneath the head of the rail and has a basal portion 7 which extends outwardly over the base flange of the rail and laterally a distance suflicient to permit the extension 8 to be inserted be tween the adjacent pair of abuianents l. Preferably the basal portion 7 and 8 of each base plate is channel shaped in cross section, that is. has an approximately horizontal web and downwardly extending side walls 9. The horizontal web of the extension 8 is horizontal for a distance and then the upper face is inclined downwardly and toward the base of the rail braces, as at 10. This is shown most clearly in Fig. 3. The middle portion of the inner end of the extension 7 is pressed upwardly as at 11 so as to form a reinforcing or buttressing crimp integral with the rail brace 6 and the basal extension thereof and acting to buttress the vertical portion 6 against the horizontal portion so that the rail brace will resist any lateral or tipping thrust upon the rail. B and will translate this lateral thrust into a downward and outward thrust. The underside of the basal portion 7 of each rail brace is cut away as at 12 so that the side flanges 9 rest firmly upon the upper face of the base plate 3 and the forward.

ends of these side flanges will bear firmly against the upper face of the rail ase.

Each of the walls 9 of each rail brace is transversely perforated for the passage of a bolt, pin or other suitable fastening 13. This bolt or pin may be of any suitable form, but as illustrated is provided with a head at one end and a perforation at the other end for a cotter pin whereby the pin is held in place. Inasmuch as there are a plurality of perforations 5 for each horizontal series of perforations, it is obvious that the rail may be shifted laterally and the rail braces shifted with the rail and then pinned in their adjusted positions. Inasmuch as there are a plurality of horizontal series of perforations, it is obvious that the rail may be raised by means of siims and that the rail braces may be correspondingly raised and held in their raised position by inserting the pins through one of the perforations 5 in place of through any one of the perforations 5?.

It is to be particularly noted that in this construction the buttressing element 11 absolutely prevents a trainman from inserting his foot between the inner ends of the abutments fl: and the rail braces 6 and getting his foot caught in this manner, and also prevents cattle from getting their feet caught in the chair. The type of chair which is heretofore described is particularly useful with cattle guards of either wood or metal, as it provides for a lateral and vertical adjustment of the rail at cattle guards without a disturbance of its primary fastenings.

It is to be particularly noted that this chair conforms to the requirements of the final report made by the Block Signal and Train Control Board of the Interstate Gommerce Commission dated June 29, 1912, in that the chair is adapted to be used with screw spikes and further in that provision is made for supporting the rail against all of the stresses to'which it is subjected. This report further advocated the use of rail fastening devices which would permit the elevation of the rail by shimmin-g and the lateral adjustment of the rail, both of which adjustments are permitted by my improved rail chair. Further the rail chair is of such simple construction that it may be economically manufactured, readily put in place and the rail may be adjusted within the chair without the necessity of using the services of a section gang.

The, present chair dispenses with the use of spikes for holding the rail to the tie, a practice which has very many disadvantages which are fully pointed out in the report of the railway train board above referred to.

The improved form of chair heretofore described, as before stated, is particularly adapted for use at cattle guards. As cattle guard rail supports are generally longitudinal members in nearly all cases, the base of the chair, in so far as width is concerned, has no relation to the width of a tie. As cattle guards on granger lines are placed on curves as well as tangents, it is obvious that a lateral adjustment is a paramount necessity, and as cattle guards on many lines are built up like a Wood crib with stringers crossing the crib and with barbed wire across the top of the crib, the pits wherein the cribs are placed are sink holes for water, and it is obvious that contingencies arise wherein the whole structure is superelevated by frost. Hence shimming may be required, and hence the provision for shimming in the improved structure. This chair is also requiredin terminal yards, at ash pits, turntables, and such portions of track where rails are laid upon longitudinal bnembers.

In portions of the country where the soil is saline, it is necessary that the chair to fulfil its mission be constructed of malleable metal with a percentage of copper or other alloy in the metal to resist saline action. In other sections of the country, the chair may be made of ordinary structural shapes. The chair is particularly designed to reduce weight, and consequent cost of metal. The chair body has the type of an ordinary channel section, and its brace may be rolled. This particular design of the chair body is very strong and may be made either as a malleable casting or rolled.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A rail chair of the character described including a base plate having oppositely disposed, upwardly extending pairs of abutments extending parallel to the length of the base plate and formed with a plurality of series of horizontal perforations, rail braces adapted to engage on opposite sides of a rail and having lateral upwardly projecting extensions adapted to fit each between one pair of abutments and ransversely perforated, and fastening devices engaging the rail braces with the abutments and passing through said perforations.

2. A. rail chair comprising a base plate having upstanding, oppositely disposed abutments, rail braces adapted to engage one on each side of a rail and having lateral extensions engaging said abutments, the

lateral extensions being cisposed' at the bases of the rail braces and each rail brace I being formed with a e-ri-mped portion extending down-ward from the rail brace and merging into the ntension and being integral therewith, and means coeperating with said extensions and abutments for holding the rail in different positions of lateral and vertical adjustment.

3. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upstanding oppositely disposed abutments, rail braces adapted to engage one on each side of a rail and having lateral extensions engaging said abutments, the lateral extensions being disposed at the bases of the rail braces and each rail brace being formed with a crimped portion extending downward from the rail brace and merging into the extension and being integral there with, each crimped portion having diverging sides, and means cooperating with the extensions and said abutments for holding the rail in different positions of lateral and vertical adjustment.

4. A rail chair comprising a base plate having upstanding abutments, a rail brace having a vertical portion adapted to extend between the head and base of a rail, and a aterally extending portion fitting over the base of the rail and extending between said abutments, the laterally extending portion having downwardly extending lateral side walls, the upper wall of the laterally extending portion and. the body of the rail brace being mutually formed with an integral crimp connecting the two and having downwardly diverging sides.

5. A rail chair comprising a base plate, rail braces adapted to engage opposite sides of a rail, each rail brace comprising an approximately vertical web engaging beneath the head. and over the base of the rail, this web being then upwardly and laterally ex tended and then laterally and horizontally extended, the basal extended portion of each brace being formed with downwardly extending side walls the vertical web and the upwardly and outwardly extending portion of the extension being connected by means of an integral crimp having outwardly and downwardly deflected sides, and means on the base plate for engaging said braces.

6. A rail chair comprising a base plate having oppositely disposed pairs of abutments, the abutments being bent upward from the side edges of the base plate and each pair of abutments being formed with a plurality of series of transversely extend ing alining perforations, rail braces adapted to engage one on each side of a rail and having lateral extensions passing between the pairs of abutments, said lateral extensions being formed with downwardly ex tending side walls, the side wallsbeing cutaway adjacent the vertical portion of the rail braces to engage over the base flange of the rail, said side walls being further formed with transverse perforations, and pins passing through the transverse perforations of the abutments and through the side walls.

7. The combination of a tie and a rail thereon, of a rail chair comprising a bed plate having upwardly extending pairs of abutments, one pair of abutments being dis posed opposite to the other and spaced there from a distance equal to the width of the rail base, each pair of abutments being formed with a plurality of series of alining perforations, rail braces disposed one on each side of the rail and each comprising an approximately vertical Web and an approximately horizontal laterally extending web disposed between the corresponding pair of abutments, the laterally extending webs being formed with downwardly extending perforated side walls, the side walls engaging over the base of the rail, and pins passing through the perforations of the abutments and the side walls.

8. The combination with a tie and rail, of a chair comprising a base plate having means for permanent attachment to the tie and provided with oppositely disposed pairs of abutments, rail braces engaging one on each side of the rail and each having a hollow lateral extension fitting between the adjacent pair of abutments, and means cooperating with said extensions and abutments for holding the rail in different positions of lateral and vertical adjustment.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WM. Noss, W. H. MALONEY.

Copies of this patent, may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. G. 

